Axolotl Translations

Even with his little shopping cart, Zuo Zhou still had to make two trips that afternoon to get everything he thought they needed.

Shangguan Yu stayed home, watching TV and waiting for Zuo Zhou to return. He spent the entire afternoon observing him going back and forth, carrying bags, meticulously organizing everything, and restocking the kitchen. By the time it was all finished, Shangguan Yu was genuinely surprised—he hadn’t even realized his house was lacking so many things.

Finally, as Zuo Zhou emerged from the kitchen yet again, Shangguan Yu couldn’t contain himself any longer. “Alright, that’s enough. Come here, have some water, and take a break.”

“Okay, just let me put this new hand soap in the bathroom first.”

“……”

By the time Zuo Zhou finally settled on the couch, Shangguan Yu handed him a glass of water—which was now slightly cool.

“Want me to warm it up?”

“Nah, I’m warm enough. This is perfect.”

After gulping down the entire glass, Zuo Zhou glanced at the clock. “Brother Yu, are you hungry?”

It was almost 6 PM, but Shangguan Yu didn’t feel hungry at all. After all, he had eaten quite a bit at lunch, thanks to both Zuo Zhou and Zhong Pei constantly filling his plate.

So, he answered honestly, “Not really. How about you? If you’re hungry, I can order takeout.”

“Order takeout? Absolutely not! I bought a ton of great ingredients.” Zuo Zhou grinned. “Since you’re not hungry yet, I’ll take a quick shower first—I got all sweaty running around. After that, I’ll cook.”

“You go shower, but don’t bother cooking dinner. I can just—”

“It’s fine! It’ll be a breeze. I prepped everything, and I can still manage just fine with one hand.” Zuo Zhou was already rising from the couch, giving Shangguan Yu a pointed look. “Brother Yu, just don’t worry about it. And don’t you dare order takeout!”

Shangguan Yu considered it. If Zuo Zhou needed help cooking, he could assist—after all, when he lived alone, he managed the kitchen perfectly well. It was only after Zuo Zhou took over that he became increasingly less involved.

Besides, he did miss Zuo Zhou’s cooking.

So, in the end, he nodded in agreement.

Zuo Zhou had only been in the bathroom for about two minutes when Shangguan Yu suddenly heard him call out.

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Brother Yu…could you come here for a sec?”

“Uh, sure.”

Shangguan Yu, unsure of what was needed, maneuvered his wheelchair toward the bathroom.

When Shangguan Yu reached the bathroom, he was met with a rather…striking scene. Zuo Zhou had managed to get his sweatshirt halfway off, now awkwardly stuck around his head, revealing a glimpse of his waist. He stood rigidly by the bathroom door, clearly trapped.

His jeans were unbuttoned and had slipped down to his hips, stopping right at the V-line, threatening to fall. His torso was slightly twisted, making the muscles of his abdomen appear particularly defined, the lines sharp and fluid, radiating strength.

Adding to the captivating display, likely from running errands all afternoon, a thin sheen of sweat glistened on his skin. Tiny beads of moisture dotted his waist and abdomen, shimmering faintly under the warm bathroom lights like a golden glaze over his muscles, making them even more eye-catching.

Shangguan Yu froze. He hadn’t expected Zuo Zhou, who always appeared lean in clothes, to be quite so…well-built underneath.

“Brother Yu,” Zuo Zhou’s muffled voice came from beneath the fabric. “Could you help me take this off? My hand’s stuck…”

“Uh…yeah. Just move slowly,” Shangguan Yu responded, maneuvering his wheelchair closer. “Try pulling it back down first and putting it on properly again before taking it off.”

“Can’t. I’m completely stuck—I can’t pull it down or take it off.”

Hearing that, Shangguan Yu sighed. “Alright, don’t move. Just bend down so I can see what’s going on.”

He had now reached Zuo Zhou, who obediently bent forward, bringing his head closer to Shangguan Yu.

A warm, solid presence suddenly filled Shangguan Yu’s field of vision. He hesitated for a moment before carefully grasping the sweatshirt and slowly pulling it upward.

With Zuo Zhou’s head trapped inside, Shangguan Yu couldn’t see what was happening within the fabric. All he could tell was that Zuo Zhou’s arm seemed to be stuck, and wary of pulling too hard, he proceeded cautiously, trying to be as gentle as possible.

But without a clear view, progress was agonizingly slow. Nearly a minute passed with little success, and just as Shangguan Yu began to break a sweat from the exertion, Zuo Zhou suddenly yelped in pain.

“Ah!”

“What happened?” Shangguan Yu immediately stopped.

“You tugged on my arm too hard.”

“…”

“Brother Yu, my waist is starting to ache, and you’re stuck in an awkward position too—it’s difficult for you to apply any force like this.”

“Then what should we do?”

Zuo Zhou seemed to ponder for a moment before suggesting, “How about…I sit on your lap? That way, we’ll be at the same height, and you’ll have better leverage.”

“Huh?”

Before Shangguan Yu could even process the unexpected suggestion, Zuo Zhou had already moved—swiftly closing the distance and, without hesitation, plopping himself directly onto Shangguan Yu’s lap.

“?!?!”

“Am I too heavy?” Zuo Zhou asked cautiously. “Did I crush you?”

Shangguan Yu thought: You’ve already sat down, and now you’re asking? Isn’t it a little late for that?

But aloud, he simply replied calmly, “It’s fine. Lower your head a bit.”

“Oh.”

Zuo Zhou obeyed, lowering his head obediently.

Now that they were in a truly convenient position, Shangguan Yu managed to remove the sweatshirt in just over a minute.

Zuo Zhou’s hair was a mess, and his forehead was damp with sweat. Slightly out of breath, he held the shirt in his left hand, blinked at Shangguan Yu, and said with a soft smile, “Thanks, Brother Yu.”

“Mm. Your arm?”

“It’s fine now.”

A brief silence settled between them.

When Zuo Zhou had first plopped onto his lap, Shangguan Yu had been too stunned to fully register the sensation. But now that the minor crisis was resolved, he became acutely aware of the weight pressing down on his legs—the solid warmth, the undeniable presence of Zuo Zhou.

“…You should probably get up now.”

“Oh? Oh!” Zuo Zhou seemed to finally register the situation and scrambled up from Shangguan Yu’s lap. Then, instead of stepping away, he crouched beside him, tilting his head up to look at him. “Sorry, I must have been really heavy.”

“It’s fine,” Shangguan Yu replied. “I don’t have much sensation in my legs anyway.”

He said it matter-of-factly, his tone casual and unconcerned. But Zuo Zhou’s expression shifted. He lowered his gaze and stared at Shangguan Yu’s legs in silence.

“What’s wrong?”

Zuo Zhou shook his head without replying. Instead, he remained crouched and reached out, his hand gently landing on Shangguan Yu’s bare ankle.

Shangguan Yu was only wearing casual sweatpants and slippers. His socks had been removed earlier, leaving his ankles exposed. And Zuo Zhou—just like that—placed his hand directly against his skin.

From Shangguan Yu’s perspective, he saw Zuo Zhou lower his head, his large palm completely enveloping his slender ankle, his fingers moving in a slow, deliberate caress.

The sight sent a jolt of tension through Shangguan Yu—not just because of the unexpected skin-to-skin contact, but also because of the sheer visual impact.

The tall, broad-shouldered Zuo Zhou was now crouched before him, head bowed, touching him with quiet reverence. The contrast between his usual demeanor and his current posture—lower than Shangguan Yu, almost kneeling—made the moment feel uncomfortably intimate.

An unfamiliar tension curled down his spine.

“…Zuo Zhou…You don’t have to do that,” Shangguan Yu finally managed to say.

Shangguan Yu had no sensation below his knees, but at that moment, a strange, searing heat surged up from his ankle. It was as if his lifeless legs had suddenly sprung to life, blood rushing wildly through them.

The sensation was both bizarre and overwhelming. He instinctively wanted to pull his leg away, but he couldn’t move—so he could only speak. “Stop…”

But Zuo Zhou didn’t stop. His hand continued its movement, his fingers brushing over Shangguan Yu’s ankle, then his calf, slipping beneath the loose fabric of his sweatpants—moving higher.

“Not even like this? You still don’t feel anything?” Zuo Zhou’s voice was calm, as if he were simply inquiring about Shangguan Yu’s condition.

Of course, Shangguan Yu wasn’t about to confess what he truly felt. He forced his voice to remain cold. “No.”

Zuo Zhou fell silent for a moment before speaking again. “I wish I could have been there with you when you were in the hospital. If I had been, then when you think back on those days, you wouldn’t only remember some nameless nurse who spent the most time by your side.”

Shangguan Yu was at a loss for words.

He thought he had developed sufficient resilience, but those words still managed to strike a vulnerable chord within him.

“It’s in the past,” Shangguan Yu said, his voice rougher than usual. “If you hadn’t brought it up last time, I wouldn’t even think about the hospital anymore…Besides, I don’t want to associate you with that painful time. I don’t want you tied to those memories.”

“I’d rather only remember that dark, skinny little coal ball.”

Zuo Zhou was still looking down, but finally, his hands stopped moving.

After a moment, he withdrew them from Shangguan Yu’s pant leg, placing them gently on his thigh—one hand uninjured, the other still recovering. Then, tilting his head up, he met Shangguan Yu’s gaze.

“Brother Yu, I’m making bone broth tonight. Let’s have some together, okay?”

Shangguan Yu could feel the weight of Zuo Zhou’s body resting against his legs. It was solid, grounding.

But the casual shift in conversation allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief. “Alright.”

They held each other’s gaze, neither moving, locked in a silent exchange. Zuo Zhou made no move to get up, and Shangguan Yu, enveloped by the warmth of their bare skin contact, could feel his own body temperature steadily rising.

“Enough,” he said finally. “Go take a shower before you catch a cold.”

“Oh, okay.”

Zuo Zhou stretched languidly before standing up, offering a warm smile. “I’ll be quick.”

“Mm.”

He slipped off his sling, hanging it along with his clothes on the rack outside the bathroom. Then he paused—turning slightly to glance at Shangguan Yu, as if he were about to remove his pants.

“…”

Shangguan Yu instinctively maneuvered his wheelchair backward, retreating two steps before stopping. He couldn’t help but remind him, “Be careful with your arm.”

“Got it, don’t worry.”

And just like that, Zuo Zhou was back in Shangguan Yu’s home.

For Shangguan Yu, the objective was simple—he wanted Zuo Zhou to rest properly, eat well, and recover as quickly as possible. But Zuo Zhou? He was exactly the same as before, taking on nearly all the household chores and ensuring Shangguan Yu had three nutritious meals a day.

One would think that with an injured arm, he would slow down. But no—he didn’t miss a beat.

At first, Shangguan Yu constantly reminded him to take it easy, to stop overdoing things. But after several unsuccessful attempts, he simply gave up and started pitching in himself.

Two men with injuries, navigating daily life together—it turned out to be surprisingly harmonious. There wasn’t much they couldn’t manage.

Sometimes, Shangguan Yu even mused that they made the perfect team. One with an injured leg, the other with an injured arm—it was almost as if they were destined to complement each other.

Time flew by. Almost two weeks had passed.

On Thursday night, they were engrossed in a game of Monopoly when the phone rang.

Shangguan Yu assumed it was Wang Hao, probably calling to arrange a weekend visit. He casually reached for his phone, ready to answer—

But the moment he saw the caller ID, his hand froze mid-air.

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